Ultimate Guide To Burial Insurance With Pre-Existing Conditions

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Do you have some pre-existing health issues, and are wondering how they will impact your eligibility?

You are not alone. It turns out that many of our clients first came to us wondering how their health conditions would impact their ability to secure low cost final expense insurance.

So here’s the bottom line

Qualifying for burial insurance with pre-existing conditions is not difficult or impossible. In fact, the overwhelming majority of health issues are absolutely accepted by at least one or many insurance companies.

In the rare event you have an ultra high risk health condition, there are guaranteed issue life insurance plan available. These have no medical underwriting, so everyone is accepted regardless of health.

We put together this article as a comprehensive resource, so you can find out how your health issues will affect your eligibility when you apply for a burial insurance plan.

Here’s a snapshot of what you will find in this article:

An full explanation of how burial insurance companies determine the eligibility of an applicant.

A complete list of health conditions along with a short synopsis of how each issue affects insurability.

Links to throughout articles that give you a behind the scenes breakdown regarding the underwriting of each health issue.

We’ve taken the liberty of sorting all the health issues alphabetically. Feel free to click on a letter below to make a quick jump to whatever health issue you are curious about.

How Final Expense Life Insurance Companies Determine Eligibility

Assuming you don’t sign up for a no health question policy, every burial insurance company will assess your health to determine what you qualify for if anything.

Most every company will look at the following three things:

Your answers to their health questions

A review of your prescription history

A review of your MIB file for any relevant records

After they have all this information, they can give you a firm decision regarding your eligibility.

Most companies now days will render a decision within minutes of submitting your application. However, some of them can take up to three days before you know if you have been accepted or not.

Want to know the best part about final expense underwriting?

Every final expense life insurance company has their own underwriting standards. While an applicant may qualify with one company, they may not necessarily qualify with another.

The competition among insurance companies over the years has resulted in there being great underwriting diversity.

The net result is this: The vast majority of health issues are accepted by one or many final expense companies. The only question is, which company will accept the conditions YOU deal with?

That’s the key question you must answer to find you best policy. And guess what, you can rely on Choice Mutual to help you answer that question 😎

The Health Questions Are The Most Compelling Factor

When you are applying for burial insurance with pre-existing conditions, you must understand that the health questions (with every company) are the most important element. More than likely, they alone will determine what you qualify for.

Know this

If you say yes to any health question (from any company), it will unequivocally mean one of two things. At minimum it will result in a higher monthly premium. In other cases, it will mean a higher monthly premium and a modified payout of benefits during the first two years.

This is important too

If a final expense company does not ask about a health issue, it means they are okay with it. For example, you will never see any final expense company ask about cholesterol (literally not a single one). They don’t ask about it because they are perfectly accepting of it. The same applies with any other health issue.

Prescriptions Are The Second Most Influential Factor In The Application Process

Along with the health questions, every final expense company will analyze your entire prescription history as a way to validate your health. They will look at the names of the medications, when they were first prescribed, and how often you refill them.

They know what medications treat which conditions. If you have a prescription in your pharmacy report that directly refutes one of your answers to the health questions, it will override your no answer.

Here’s the deal with prescriptions

If you fill it, they will always assume you take it. Furthermore, if you fill it, they will assume you have whatever condition it’s meant to treat.

Ultimately, no final expense company will simply take your word that you don’t have a condition when it’s clear that you are being prescribed medication for whatever condition is in question.

Your MIB File Probably Won’t Matter

Outside of the movie Men In Black, most people have never heard of the MIB. Truthfully, we wouldn’t know of it either if we weren’t in the life insurance business 🙂

So what is the MIB?

MIB stands for Medical Information Bureau. They are an organization that was designed to help insurance companies avoid adverse selection when underwriting insurance applications.

Here’s how it works.

When you apply for life insurance with an insurance company that participates with MIB (99% do), that life insurance company will make a brief report about you to MIB. The report will entail whatever information you disclosed in your application.

The MIB does not obtain information from your doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, or any other healthcare entity. It acquires it’s information strictly from whatever insurance companies you apply with (and only information YOU voluntarily disclose).

For example, if you tell a life insurance company that you smoke cigarettes, that will be in the report. Likewise, if you tell a life insurance company that you have kidney disease, that too will also be in the report.

When you apply for a life insurance policy, the insurer will analyze your MIB file for any relevant records. They are looking for information that may conflict with your answers to their health questions. If they find a discrepancy, they will probably suspend or deny your application.

The system was designed to avoid those applicants would attempt to withhold the truth. For example, if you told insurance company A that you had cancer, they would report that information to MIB. If you then applied with insurance company B, they would see that you disclosed your cancer diagnosis. You wouldn’t be able to proclaim that you don’t have cancer to company B because your MIB file directly refutes that proclamation.

In the end, as long as you are honest, the MIB file will probably never become an issue.

The great thing about MIB is it results in lower rates overall for those who are honest because it weeds out those who would attempt to mislead insurers.

A Complete List Of Burial Insurance With Pre-Existing Conditions

Below you will find a breakdown of over 60 different high risk conditions listed in alphabetical order. Along with a brief summary of each condition, you will find a quick link to an exhaustive article that covers everything related to the condition.

If you have a health condition that has not yet been written about, message us and we will write up a complete article about it. After we receive your request, we will have the article complete and published within 3 days of your inquiry. Send your request to info@choicemutual.com

A

Amputation Due To Diabetes

To be perfectly frank, this condition is a flat decline with most final expense companies. There are very few insurance companies that will accept this health event. Thankfully, there are still options, but they will at minimum require you pay a higher monthly premium to cover this risk. A diabetic amputation is usually indicative of overall bad health. For this reason, we strongly suggest that you will endure at least a 2 year waiting period.

While you may be eligible for full first day coverage, we would need to speak with you in order to determine that. Depending on the nature of your overall health profile, it may be necessary to resort to a guaranteed issue policy.

Aneurysm

First of all, there are some burial insurance companies that will flat out not care if you have had an aneurysm even if was yesterday! This means you can get coverage that starts in full immediately, and comes at the lowest rate possible.

There are not many final expense companies that offer this value. If you don’t qualify with them for some other health reason, other companies will not respond so favorably. These other companies will likely impose a waiting period of some kind and definitely charge you a higher monthly premium.

Angina

Having angina is indicative of some pretty serious heart issues. Chest pains are usually the result of your heart muscle not getting enough oxygen rich blood.

There are two pieces of the puzzle you need to consider.

First are the actual chest pains. Second, is the medication that is typically prescribed to treat chest pains.

If you have actually experienced chest pains within the last year, you will unequivocally have to deal with higher rates and a waiting period. All final expense companies will ask about chest pains within the last 1-2 years.

The medications are another story. While you may not have actually had any chest pains within the last 1-2 years, you are probably still filling a prescription for Nitro or some other pill meant to treat angina.

The insurance companies will assume you are still afflicted by chests pains if they see you are filling a prescription for Nitro even if you don’t actually take the pill.

Ultimately, you would need to be free of Nitro prescription fills and chest pains for at least a year in order to be eligible for immediate coverage and level rates.

Arthritis

This one is very simple. There is no funeral insurance company that cares about arthritis. There are a few rare companies that take issue with rheumatoid arthritis, but most companies flat out don’t care.

You will easily qualify for 100% immediate coverage and have access to the lowest rates offered by each insurance company.

The only possible way arthritis could pose a problem would be if it was so bad that you were wheelchair confined, required home health care, or needed assistance with your daily activities of living (bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, taking medications).

Atrial Fibrillation

There are some final expense companies that are not fond of this condition, and there are some that are perfectly okay with it. More than likely, we can get you a plan that has full coverage on day one and comes at the lowest rate offered by the insurance carrier.

In truth, Afib just isn’t a condition that most insurance companies care about. You will find that most applications don’t ask about this condition in any way.

B

Bi Polar Disorder

You will find that many funeral life insurance companies are not so welcoming to applicants with this condition. At the same time, we do know of a good amount of companies that look upon this mental health issue at as non starter.

Every single client we have helped who was bi polar was able to acquire a plan at the lowest rate possible. Furthermore, their coverage had no waiting period.

Not a lot of companies offer this incredible value for folks who deal with this condition. Thankfully, they exist because it’s a huge savings!

Blindness

While not being able to see is no doubt a huge sink in quality of life, it actually does not affect mortality enough to matter. This is why you will not find a single final expense life insurer that will respond adversely to someone who is blind.

All companies will offer the blind full first day coverage and their lowest rates.

About the only way being blind could cause an increase in premiums or require waiting periods would be if you were on home health care or needed help with your daily activities of living.

As long as you can take care of yourself, you won’t have trouble finding affordable coverage.

Fyi, having someone come over to cook, clean, or bring you stuff is totally fine. Most carriers won’t have an issue with that kind of help.

Blood Clots

It honestly does not matter when you had your blood clot because we have burial insurance companies that freely accept this health risk. Expect to pay the least amount possible and receive a policy that covers you in full immediately.

Developing a blood clot often results in taking blood thinners like Plavix, Warfarin, or Coumadin. There are indeed some insurance companies that do not like these medications. With them, they will charge you more money and likely impose a waiting period.

But check this out

Even if you were prescribed your blood thinners yesterday, we still have carriers that won’t care. You won’t have to pay extra or endure a modified payout of your benefits during the first two years.

The only time a blood clot will result in higher premiums would be if you had some sort of surgery to correct it. Outside of that, you won’t have any issue securing affordable coverage.

Blood thinners

Often the result of a heart attack or stroke, blood thinners are something many final expense companies view as high risk. With that, we still have some insurance companies that welcome applicants on blood thinners with open arms regardless of how long they have been taking them.

It’s absolutely possible to secure coverage with no waiting period even if you first filled your blood thinner prescription yesterday. Not to mention, you can pay a rate that is the same as what a marathon runner would pay!

Outside of a company that does not care about blood thinners in any way, the results will vary. Truthfully, lots of carriers will take blood thinners with no hesitation if you have been taking them for two years or longer.

If you recently began your prescription for a blood thinner, hopefully you qualify with one of the companies that accepts you without any sort of penalty. If not, you are looking at higher rates and waiting periods.

C

Cancer

Just a heads up, no burial insurance companies care about basal cell skin cancer. They all specifically exclude basal cell skin cancer when they define cancer.

To begin with, if you have had cancer within the last 2 years you cannot avoid a waiting period along with higher rates. Unfortunately, this puts you in such a high risk category that insurers will impose these penalties to cover the increased risk.

However, if your had cancer over 2 years ago the doors begin to open. At the 2 year mark you begin to have access to carriers that only ask about cancer within the last 2 years. This means you can get coverage that covers you immediately, and has a cost that is consistent with that of a person who never had cancer.

There aren’t many companies that only look back two years on cancer. At the three year mark since your last bout with cancer, virtually all doors open up. Most funeral insurance companies only ask about cancer in the prior 3 years.

Last but not least, if you have had cancer more than once, you will have very few options. Most carriers have a question that specifically asks about having cancer more than once. If you say yes, they decline you.

Chewing Tobacco

The key thing to understand is that every final expense company will define tobacco usage differently. Some companies may define it as any form of tobacco or nicotine, and some just care about cigarette usage.

Here’s the deal

There are some companies that specifically exclude chewing tobacco when they determine if an applicant is subject to tobacco rates. Furthermore, some companies only ask about cigarette usage.

Both of these kinds of companies will allow a chewing tobacco user to acquire non tobacco rates which means substantial savings. You could literally save as much as 80%!

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

The sad reality is this is a very high risk condition. For this reason, you will not find any burial insurance company that will accept you without charging you a higher monthly premium and a partial or full waiting period.

You basically have two choices in front of you.

You can pay a little more and have some immediate coverage (not full)

You can pay less and have a full two year waiting period.

Your Choice Mutual agent will go over you options with you, and you can decide what you want to do.

Chronic Bronchitis

This condition is very often lumped into the same category as COPD and emphysema. The overwhelming majority of funeral insurance companies will want to charge applicants who have this condition a higher monthly premium.

In addition, most of them will also impose a partial or full waiting period before you policy will pay the full death benefit.

However

There are two companies that do accept this condition and do not charge you any extra money, and don’t impose a waiting period. To them, having chronic bronchitis is just the same as not having it.

Hopefully, you don’t have other health issues that prevents you from qualifying with them.

Circulatory Surgery

To clarify, a circulatory surgery is any operation on the veins or arteries. The two most common are stent placements or an angioplasty.

The health questions for every burial insurance company will always inquire about a circulatory surgery. You will find they ask about this event within the last 12 months or the last 24 months. It’s incredibly rare to find a company ask about a circulatory surgery beyond the 24 month mark.

If you have had a circulatory surgery within the last year, you will be subject to a full waiting period and a higher monthly premium. If you had one over 12 months ago but less than 2 years, some companies will offer you level coverage (not many).

After it’s been 24 months since your last circulatory surgery, it’s a non issue at this point. Almost every company will take you without hesitation, and not impose any sort of penalty on you.

Cirrhosis

What usually happens with most funeral insurance companies is they impose higher rates and a partial or full waiting period when they encounter an applicant who has cirrhosis. Having said that, not all companies are created equally 🙂

So here’s the bottom line

You cannot avoid having to pay an increased monthly premium if you have this condition. Sadly, this is a fairly high risk condition which is why all final expense companies charge more because of it.

The great news is that some companies will still offer you full first day coverage. We are talking no waiting period of any kind. Truthfully, there aren’t many companies that offer this incredible value, so hopefully you don’t have any other health issue that get in the way.

COPD

Most people don’t know this, but lower respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of death in the United States. This is why the majority of burial insurance companies will not view this health issue favorably.

If you are on oxygen for your COPD it’s a flat decline with every company. If you are in that situation, a guaranteed issue policy is your only path to new coverage.

Here’s what you can expect

Thankfully, there are some good options out there. Best case scenario is you qualify with the one company (there is literally only 1) that takes this condition with open arms. They won’t charge you more money or impose a waiting period of any kind.

If you don’t qualify with that company, you are looking at a higher premium with one of the few companies that still offers full first day protection.

Lastly, the remaining companies will all charge you a higher premium, and impose a graded payout on your benefits or subject you to a full two year waiting period.

Crohn’s Disease

It would be quite the task to find a burial insurance company that even has the words “crohn’s disease” on their application. They will not ask about this condition because they don’t view it as a risk factor. You will easily qualify for instant coverage, and pay the lowest price offered by the insurance companies.

The only way there could be a complication in the process would be if you have ever filled a prescription for Mercaptopurine or Cyclosporine. These drugs will require us to do a little back end work to get you approved, but we can and will do it. We encourage you to read the full article to learn more about those drugs.

D

Defibrillator

Most funeral insurance companies simply do not care if you have a defibrillator. Seldom will you find an application that asks about having a defibrillator.

Now

The key thing to remember about a defibrillator is when it was put in. The insertion of a defibrillator falls under the category of heart or circulatory surgery.

If you have had a heart or circulatory surgery within the last year, you are going to have to pay more money and endure a waiting period. After it’s been 12 months, certain companies will become available because they only ask about heart or circulatory surgeries within the last 12 months.

If you had your defibrillator put in over 24 months ago, its’ a non starter at this point. 99% of companies won’t the surgery against you anymore.

Dementia

First of all, all burial insurance companies lump dementia and Alzheimer’s into the same category. They all respond to both afflictions the exact same way.

Here’s the deal

Both of these condition are a flat decline. Because of this, your only option is to take out a guaranteed acceptance funeral insurance policy. These have no health questions or underwriting. They simply issue the policy to everyone who applies.

Now there is a two year waiting period, but that cannot be avoided. No life insurance company on the planet will issue any coverage to a dementia patient that protects them at all during the first two years. It’s simply doesn’t exist.

These guaranteed issue policies are perfect for these scenarios because it means you can still get coverage. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be eligible for anything.

Depression

You will find mixed reactions among various burial insurance companies when you have been clinically diagnosed with depression.

The good news is there are plenty of company that are perfectly accepting of this issue. These companies will off you coverage that starts immediately, and comes at a cost that is equal to a person in perfect health.

There are some companies that charge more and force waiting periods upon applicants with depression. However, there is no reason to accept that given the amount of insurers who gladly accept depression applicants.

Diabetes

Diabetes is an all too common health factor we encounter. A good portion of final expense clients deal with diabetes in some way. This is probably why there are so many insurance companies that freely accept this condition.

First, if you have controlled diabetes, you will have no trouble qualifying for rock bottom rates and instant coverage. Even if your weight is not so good, it won’t matter. We have plenty of burial insurance companies we can put you with that will approve you all day long.

There are many different complications that could derive from diabetes. Just know this. We have companies well suited even for these very high risk conditions. For example, if you have neuropathy, it won’t matter! We have companies that won’t charge you a dime extra or impose a waiting period.

Diabetic Coma

To be blunt, you have to really mismanage your diabetes to fall into a diabetic coma. It’s a very serious health event that should be taken seriously. Due to the nature of this event, insurers are very reluctant to accept this condition at all.

The most compelling factor is time. When you had your diabetic coma will be the single greatest factor that determines what options you have.

Basically, if you have had a diabetic coma within the last 2 years, you are looking at higher monthly payments. Most companies will flat decline you, but there are some that will still take you with a higher premium.

There is only one company that offers immediate coverage to someone who has had a diabetic coma within the last 2 years. If you don’t qualify with them, you are looking at a full two year waiting period will all other companies.

Once it’s been 2 years since your last diabetic coma, you start to get access to companies that will no longer hold it against you. At this point you will qualify for level coverage.

Type 1 Diabetes

Just like type 2 diabetes, there are plenty of companies that will accept applicants who are afflicted with type 1 diabetes as long as it is managed.

Most final expense companies will have a question that asks about a diabetes diagnosis prior to age 50. For type 1 diabetics, they almost always say yes to this question since it develops at a young age.

If your type 1 diabetes isn’t managed well and you have developed complications, you will have a very difficult time securing immediate coverage at the lowest rates possible. We would need to speak with you about the exact circumstances surrounding your conditions before we could give you clear expectations.

Dialysis

Once you hit stage 4 of kidney disease, dialysis becomes the only way you can survive. In many cases, you are on a transplant list.

First, if you are have ever had, or been advised to have an organ transplant, you are and always will be totally ineligible for any coverage that has underwriting. In this situation, the only option is a guaranteed issue final expense policy.

In regards to dialysis, any current use is a flat decline. Your only path to a new policy is a guaranteed issue burial policy. If you had dialysis over 12 months ago, there are companies that would offer you level coverage.

Disability

Please note that this section only refers to the status of being disabled. It does not deal with the exact nature of the disability itself. There are hundreds upon hundreds of reasons why a person might be disabled. We are strictly speaking about the status of receiving SSI disability.

The good news is this- Very very few funeral insurance companies care if a person is disabled. Only a couple of companies will ask if a person is of disabled status. This essentially means that you will easily qualify for the lowest rates and first day coverage in spite of being disabled.

Remember, why you are disabled could be an issue, but the status itself will not be.

E

Epilepsy

Here’s the thing about epilepsy. There are plenty of burial insurance companies that take this condition all day long. However, epilepsy can cause issues depending on what impact it has on your life.

For example, if you are able to take care of yourself then you can get covered easily. You will qualify for immediate coverage and the lowest rates.

However, if you need home health care or a nurse to help you with daily activities, you will definitely have to pay a higher monthly premium. In addition, you will likely be subject to some kind of partial waiting period. You may even have to endure a full two year waiting period.

There are too many variables to list. Speaking with a Choice Mutual agent is key for this risk factor.

H

Heart Attack

When it comes to heart attacks, the factor that really determines every is time.

When you last had a heart attack will ultimately determine what options you have and what you pay.

First, if you have had a heart attack within the last year, you will pay more and be subject to a full two year waiting period. There is no funeral insurance company that will not respond this way if you have had a heart attack within the last year.

If it’s been a year since your heart attack then you have more options. Basically, there are a few companies out there that only ask about heart attacks within the last year. These companies will offer you immediate coverage, and their lowest rates since you heart attack was over a year ago.

After it’s been two years since your heart attack, it’s no longer a factor. Pretty much every burial insurance company asks about heart attacks within the last two years. Since it’s been longer than that, they don’t care. You’ll get instant coverage and low rates.

Heart Surgery

Basically final expense companies are going to be concerned with when you had the heart surgery. You will find the insurance companies ask about heart surgeries within the last year or last two years.

If you have had a heart surgery within the last year, expect higher premiums and a waiting period. After it’s been a year some companies will offer you level coverage. There aren’t many of them though.

At the two year mark pretty much all final expense companies no longer hold the heart surgery against you. At this point you should expect level coverage from most carriers.

Hepatitis

To be perfectly forward about this matter, there is no company that won’t charge you a bit of a higher premium. The reality is hepatitis is a fairly high risk condition which is why all final expense companies do this.

The good news is there some insurance companies that will offer you full first day coverage. There aren’t many of them, so we pray you don’t have some other health issue that poses a problem with qualifying with one of these companies.

If you happen to not qualify with one of the companies that offers immediate coverage, you are looking at a variety of responses. Usually you will be offered a higher premium along with a graded payout or a higher premium and a modified pay out.

For what it’s worth, a graded plan is one where the insurer will payout a percentage of your death benefit if you die within the first two years. It’s typically 30% during year one, and 70% during year two.

A modified plan is one where the insurance company will not pay any death benefit if you die within the first two years. Instead, they would merely refund all your money plus interest (usually 10%).

Home Health Care

When it comes to home health care, there are two possible scenarios to consider.

Permanent home health care

Temporary home health care

For starters, if you are permanently receiving home health care, rejoice because there is a company that will still accept you! Just know there is only one, so hopefully you have no other health issues that will prevent you from qualifying with them.

They will honestly give you full immediate protection, and the lowest rate possible. You will pay no more for your insurance than what a very healthy person would pay.

If you are receiving temporary home health care coverage, you should wait until it’s over with. We say this because there are a good amount of final expense companies that only ask about current home health care.

If you wait until your home health care is over with, poof you qualify with these companies! This means level rates and first day coverage.

K

Kidney Disease

First and foremost, if you stage 4 and on dialysis, you cannot get coverage that goes into effect at all during the first two years. In fact, the only way a dialysis patient can secure coverage is via a guaranteed issue life policy.

If you have stage 1, 2, or 3 kidney disease, you can get coverage that goes into full effect on the very first day! You will pay a higher premium compared to a person who does not have CKD, but there is no way to avoid that.

All final expense carriers will charge you more each month no matter what. If for some reason you don’t qualify with a company that offers no waiting periods, you will have a variety of responses.

Expect to encounter partial or full waiting periods from other carriers along with a higher monthly payment.

Hopefully your health does not prevent you from qualifying with one of the carriers that offers the incredible value of full first day protection for folks with chronic kidney disease.

L

Lupus

Regardless of which type of lupus you have, they are all basically lumped into the same category.

Having said that, the good news we have carriers that freely accept this risk factor. They willing take on lupus clients. They won’t charge them more money, or force them to endure a waiting period.

On the other hand, other insurance companies will require higher premiums and put you into a graded plan. A graded plan will payout 30-40% of your death benefit during the first year, and 70-80% during the second year.

Ultimately, there is no way you can’t get coverage. Most every lupus client we work with can and does qualify for a policy with one of the burial insurance companies that freely accepts this health condition.

M

Multiple Sclerosis

The compelling factor when it comes to MS is how much it has effected your life. Make no mistake, we know of plenty of funeral insurance companies that absolutely take this condition with no penalties whatsoever.

They will approve you for first day coverage and low rates.

However

Where MS can become an issue is if you need help with your daily activities of living. This is the sad reality for many MS patients. If you fall into this category, expect to pay higher rates and be subjected to partial or full waiting periods during the first two years of your policy.

N

Nephropathy

If your diabetes has caused damage to the point where you have developed nephropathy, you are at minimum looking at higher rates. Thankfully, there is a company(only 1) that will issue you full immediate coverage.

Outside of this company, expect to endure full two year waiting periods along with higher monthly premiums.

Neuropathy

That stinging in your feet and legs because of your diabetes sure can be a pain in the behind. This is a sad reality for lots of diabetics.

The truth is the is a very high risk conditions that most final expense life insurance companies are not fond of.

So here’s the deal

There are thankfully some insurance companies that have designed their products to absorb the risk of this high risk condition. This means you can secure a plan at the lowest rate possible, and be fully protected on the very first day of your policy.

Outside of these companies, expect much higher rates and full two year waiting periods.

O

Overweight

You may or may not know this, but most final expense companies have a build chart among their underwriting guidelines. A build chart will list max weights according to a person’s height. If you exceed a given company’s build chart, they will likely respond by charging you more money.

Here’s the thing

Final expense life insurance by nature is limited underwriting whole life insurance. As a consequence, most final expense companies have extremely generous build charts. Most people won’t exceed the build chart with any given final expense company.

At the same time, there are actually some (not many) companies that have no build charts at all! This means that you could be any weight (even 500 pounds) and still qualify just like a person of normal weight would.

Oxygen

First of all, being on oxygen for sleep apnea is the one exception that every company allows. They are all okay with oxygen for this use.

If you are on oxygen for any reason (other than for sleep apnea), you are totally ineligible for coverage that has underwriting.

In this circumstance, your only option is a guaranteed issue burial insurance plan. You will have to deal with a two year waiting period, and having to pay a higher premium. Don’t let that get in the way because the truth is you can’t avoid a waiting period or higher premiums when you are on oxygen.

P

Pacemaker

Simply having a pacemaker is generally not an issue with the majority of burial insurance companies. The only time it becomes an issue is if you had it installed with the last 2 years.

Essentially, if you had it installed within the last year, you will be subject to higher prices and a full two year waiting period.

If you had it installed over a year ago but less than two years, some companies will offer you level coverage. However, there aren’t many of them that only look back one year on a heart or circulatory surgery.

If you had the pacemaker installed over two years ago, it’s no longer a risk factor that insurance companies care about. At this point, you have your pick of the litter 🙂

Parkinson’s Disease

Having Parkinson’s Disease can cause some complications when you apply for a burial insurance plan.

But here’s the good news

We do have companies that freely accept this condition all day long. This means no waiting period, and low rates.

If for some reason you don’t qualify with one of the companies that freely accepts Parkinson’s, you will have to deal with higher prices on your policy. In addition, you will also have a policy that pays out a partial death benefit during the first two years, or one where it pays no death benefit.

R

Retinopathy

Whether it’s derived from diabetes or stress, retinopathy is a health condition that many funeral insurance companies shy away from.

So here’s the good news

There are a couple insurance companies that will gladly accept applicants who have retinopathy. They won’t charge you a higher premium, or make you endure any sort of a waiting period. you will pay no more money each month than what someone in perfect health would.

Elsewhere you will encounter much higher rates and full waiting periods.

Schizophrenia

While this may sound too good to be true, we aren’t lying. We have quite a few companies that welcome schizophrenia patients!

They pay the same low rate as folks without this affliction. Not to mention, they receive full immediate protection. No waiting periods!

Outside of the companies that are friendly to schizophrenia, expect declines, waiting periods and higher premiums. Fortunately, it won’t matter because we have so many companies that will take you all day long 🙂

Scleroderma

It would be a very difficult task to find a burial insurance company that asks about scleroderma. The fact of the matter is virtually no final expense life insurance company will take issue with this disease. You will easily qualify for the lowest rates and have full immediate coverage. The only way this would not happen would be if you had some serious complications such as congestive heart failure or you have been advised to have a lung transplant.

Seizures

Regardless of why you have your seizures, we have burial insurance companies that will accept you. Furthermore, these companies won’t make you wait two years before your policy pays any benefits. You’ll pay the lowest rate these insurance companies offer.

On the other hand, other companies will charge you an extra premium to cover this risk. Some might even require two years to go by before they would be willing to pay out a death benefit on your policy.

Sickle Cell Anemia

First of all, having sickle trait is a non issue with every company. Being a carrier is not a mortality risk factor which is why all final expense companies could care less about it.

Sickle cell anemia is very different than sickle trait. However, the results are going to be relatively the same when it comes to applying for burial insurance.

Most companies won’t ask about this condition which means they accept it. There are only a few out there that view this condition negatively.

Here’s the bottom line

You can get covered. You will pay the lowest rate possible. Your coverage will not have a waiting period.

This is important to consider

Complications that could arise from SCD could have a big impact on your eligibility. For example, having a recent stroke is something that will change things. There are many different side effects that could derive from the sickle cell anemia. Speak with your Choice Mutual agent about all your health conditions, so they can give you a clear understanding of what to expect.

But again, simply having sickle cell anemia is not a risk factor 98% of final expense life insurance companies care about.

Smokers

It’s no secret that people who smoke cigarettes don’t live as long on average compared to people who don’t smoke. This is why funeral insurance companies must charge more money. The increased risk must be accounted for.

So here’s the deal

All companies have tobacco rates for smokers. The thing is, some companies have better tobacco rates than others.

No question you have to pay a higher premium because you smoke. The key is to find which companies offer the best tobacco rates. We have quite a few companies that specialize in their tobacco rates. These companies will give you the best rates on your policy.

It’s important to note that no final expense company will ever decline you because you smoke. Furthermore, no company will ever subject you to a waiting period either. Smoking simply means you have to pay more money each month.

Stroke

Before going any further, we need to be very clear about something. This section only pertains to full blow strokes. None of this section relates to TIA mini strokes. The outcome for a TIA attack is very different than that of a full blown stroke.

Like many other health issues, a stroke can potentially cause a person to pay more for their burial insurance. The date of the stroke is the only factor that will determine whether or not your stroke impacts your price.

To start off with, if you had a stroke within the last 12 months you cannot avoid having to pay a higher monthly price. In addition, every insurance company will impose a two year waiting period on your policy.

If your stroke was over a year ago but less than 2 years, you have much better options. Basically, there are a handful of final expense life insurance companies that only ask about strokes within the last 12 months. This means you would be able to say no to their stroke question because it was over a year ago.

In the end, that makes you eligible for their immediate coverage and their lowest rate. Just a heads up though; there are not many companies that only look back 12 months on strokes. Most companies look back 2 years.

Finally, if your stroke was over 2 years ago, you are in the clear. It’s unbelievably uncommon for any final expense company to ask about strokes beyond the 2 year mark. At this point, your stroke is not a risk factor anymore.

The only way your stroke could be a risk factor beyond the two year mark would be if it caused some paralysis. There are many things to consider when it comes to paralysis. By default, paralysis itself does not mean you will have to pay more or endure a waiting period.

If your paralysis caused you to need things like home health care, or assistance with your daily activities of living, those are variables that could complicate things. Ultimately, you need to reveal everything to your Choice Mutual agent, so they can give you a firm set of expectations.

T

TIA Attack (Mini Stroke)

If you had to have a stroke of some kind, you would want it to be a TIA attack. Basically, it’s a temporary blockage. A full blown stroke is a permanent blockage that inevitably causes much more damage.

At the end of the day, mini strokes very often don’t cause serious harm. This is why there are some burial insurance companies that are perfectly fine with them.

We have companies that will still issue you rock bottom rates and instant coverage even if you had a TIA attack yesterday! Essentially, your rates will be the same as a person in perfect health.

Outside of these companies you are looking at waiting periods and much higher prices. In most cases, these companies will lump TIA attacks into the same risk category as full blown strokes.

Tumors

Regardless of where your tumor is located, there are companies that don’t care about them. You can get level rates and full instant coverage. Sadly, there aren’t many companies that offer this incredible value so we pray that you don’t have any other health conditions that complicate your eligibility with them.

For the companies that don’t freely accept all kinds of tumors, you will find that most burial insurance companies only inquire about brain tumors. If your tumor is somewhere else, that means it’s not a risk factor they care about.

If you do have a brain tumor, these insurance companies will charge you higher rates and impose a waiting period on your policy.

Then there are some companies that take issue with any kind of tumor. With these companies, you should expect increased monthly premiums and waiting periods.

Last but not least, if your tumor (regardless of which kind) is cancerous it’s a whole different ballgame. Honestly, you should refer to the section on this page about cancer to get a better understanding of your options.

W

Wheelchair usage

When it comes to wheelchair usage, the significant factor that influences everything is why you are in the wheelchair.

First, if you are in a wheelchair due to a chronic illness or disease (Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, etc), you are totally ineligible for any coverage that has underwriting (health questions). In this scenario, your only path to new coverage is by way of a guaranteed issue funeral insurance policy.

A guaranteed acceptance policy is one where the insurance company just issues it without assessing your health in any way. As long as you meet the age requirements, you qualify. These policies do cost more given the fact that the insurer is taking on substantially more risk. In addition, they always come with a two year waiting period.

If you are in a wheelchair and not because of a chronic illness or disease (you were born this way, you had a stroke, etc), then you can qualify for level rates with some companies. Your coverage would begin immediately, and you would qualify for the lowest price offered by these insurance companies.